Innovation “We are doing this now on a 15-liter Cummins engine with results expected by Q3 2020,” he says. “After that, in late 2020 and into 2021, we would like to begin preparing for several pilot demonstrations using realworld applications like power generation to prove the power, efficiency and emissions in the field.” Johnson presented ClearFlame’s technology at the 2020 National Ethanol Conference in February, and he was encouraged by the interest that ensued. “We received very enthusiastic feedback from those who understood the huge creation of ethanol demand that is enabled by our technology,” he says. “There was also significant interest in testing the technology. ClearFlame is hoping to convert this enthusiasm to more tangible support,” he says, explaining that the company is securing additional test fuel and capital.
Full Circle
Walt Wendland, CEO of Ringneck Energy, an 80 MMgy plant in Onida, South Dakota, says he was impressed with Johnson’s presentation, particularly ClearFlame’s potential to increase domestic ethanol demand. “What I liked about it the most was that farmers that bring their corn in would have a great opportunity to buy the ethanol back to fuel their tractors,” Wendland says. “Basically, it’s closing the loop. It’s something that I think would be pretty neat where we’re located.” Johnson says part of the appeal of ClearFlame’s technology is to protect against poor market conditions and decreased demand for etha-
TECH CHECK: ClearFlame Engines CEO BJ Johnson, right, and Julie Blumreiter, chief technical officer, work on ClearFlame’s technology. The company says its technology allows diesel engines to run on ethanol blends of 70 percent or more without suffering a loss of performance. PHOTO: CLEARFLAME ENGINES
Decades of Reliable
Exhaust Treatment
in the Ethanol Industry Eisenmann VRTO-C Proven and trusted >100 installations Engineered for your application 100% system reliability 24/7/365 technical response service
+1 (815) 477 - 53 5335 33 ethanol@eisenmann. ethanol@eisenmann.com www.eisenmann.com/ethanol www eisenmann com/e Ad 7-2019.indd 1 | ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE | JULY 2020 48 Ethanol
5/28/2019 7:24:42 PM